Take a look a the FDAs following table which outlines treatment methods for controlling food related risks.
FDAs Summary of Literature Findings on Microbiological Safety Issues and Preventive Controls
Source
FDA/CFSAN, 2001c
Industry/Products
Fresh and fresh-cut produce
Problem/Risk
Manure and biosolids
Water for agricultural uses
Improper postharvest packing, cooling, and storage practices
Preventive Controls Suggested
Temperature control
Physical removal of microorganisms
Use of effective GRAS cleaning agents
Ozone treatment
Irradiation
Biocontrol
It should be noted that ozone is the only oxidant specifically mentioned by name for controlling microbiological issues. It is most likely due to the fact that ozone work so well at reducing microbiological counts on produce. Applying a minimal amount of ozone in either gas or aqueous form can achieve impressive results.
To see the actual FDA document, click on the link below:
Caution signs are used for a variety of things, from alerting walkers about an uneven step to warning of hazardous chemicals. A new caution sign has been added to the mix by Ozone Solutions.
In developing these new signs, Ozone Solutions hopes people will use them in areas where ozone is being produced to warn others of the potential hazard. While exposure to ozone has not been shown to have long-term health problems, there are some government regulations regarding the use of ozone in the workplace, and so these signs will allow companies to inform employees/visitors that ozone is in use in the area they are about to enter.
These signs are inexpensive, easy to use, and can quickly and effectively be placed on a door or even on the outside of the building. They are made of a light yet durable polyethylene material and are 7 inches tall by 10 inches wide. Check them out at http://www.ozonesolutions.com/CAU-7×10.html.
The same chemical properties that allow high concentrations of ozone to react with organic material outside the body give it the ability to react with similar organic material that makes up the body, and potentially cause harmful health consequences. Recovery from the harmful effects can occur following short-term exposure to low levels of ozone, but health effects may become more damaging and recovery less certain at higher levels or from longer exposures.
Important Government Standards
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires ozone output of indoor medical devices to be no more than 0.05 ppm.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) requires that workers not be exposed to an average concentration of more than 0.10 ppm for 8 hours.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends an upper limit of 0.10 ppm, not to be exceeded at any time.
EPA‘s National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone is a maximum 8 hour average outdoor concentration of 0.08 ppm (see: the Clean Air Act)
Ozone Solutions
Ozone Solutions recommends that all ozone systems be designed with proper mechanisms to dispose of excess ozone and detect ozone leaks. Additionally, residential and commercial ozone shock treatments for odor removal should be performed in the absence of humans or animals to avoid exposure to unhealthy levels of ozone.
An ozone treatment can be used to remove or reduce agents such as residual smoke or mold spores that aggravate breathing problems. However, people with serious breathing issues, such as asthma, should not be around ozone gas and should avoid any area where an ozone shock treatment has been performed in the last 24 hours.
Ozone Solutions has expanded our ozone generator product line once again. Due to the success and proven reliable performance of our TG-40 Ozone Generator we have added the TG-10 and TG-20 Ozone Generators to our product line.
TG-20 Ozone Generator
TG-10 Ozone Generator produces 10 g/hr of ozone at 2.5% by weight from only 5 LPM Oxygen
TG-20 Ozone Generator produces 20 g/hr of ozone at 3.3% by weight from only 7 LPM Oxygen
These are very efficient ozone generators using very little oxygen to produce the desired ozone. All the popular features of the TG-40 Ozone generator are present on the TG-10 and TG-20 Ozone Generators
The City of Springfield, MO will be hosting a groundbreaking ceremony today (Feb 17, 2010) for their new Ozone Disinfection System. This $16 million project is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and distributed by the EPA which is directing funds to projects that meet both economic and environmental needs.
By upgrading their ozone disinfection system, Springfield will accomplish several goals. Perhaps of most concern to area residents is that City’s disinfection capacity will be increased by 50%. This increased capacity will improve downstream water-quality in both Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo. In addition, the project is expected to create 30 jobs until its expected completion in 2012.
The increased efficiency of the new ozone system is expected to decrease energy consumption by $4 million over 20 years. Maintenance costs will also be reduced, for a savings of $2 million over 20 years.
The groundbreaking is to be held at Springfield’s Southwest Wastewater Treatment Plant (SWWTP), beginning at 11:30 am. Attendees are expected to include Congressman Roy Blunt, as well as several state and regional representatives of the DNR and EPA.
Springfield, MO Southwest Water Treatment Plant
The Springfield SWWTP was originally constructed in 1959 and has gone through several major upgrades since then. It currently removes 70,000 pounds of pollutants from wastewater per day and is capable of treating 42.5 million gallons of wastewater per day (continually) or up to 90 millions per day (over brief periods). You can find more information at the following link: http://www.springfieldmo.gov/sanitary/southwest.html
The city of Agoura Hills, CA recently began a project to test the feasibility of ozone as a tool for cleaning creeks and it has shown promising results. It was launched last spring in response to several anti-pollution regulations, including the EPA’s Clean Water Act. The city implemented an ozone generator into one of their underground storm water vaults (part of the local Lindero Creek system), reducing bacteria, foam and other pollutants in the creek within a month’s time. In addition, water clarity and new plant growth improved.
Ozone has a proven track record of killing bacteria, reducing metals, and removing dirty color from water sources and the Lindero Creek project was no exception. Compared to chlorine systems, ozone is 3,000 times more effective at sanitizing water and uses no chemicals. The result is a cleaner creek, providing a healthier habitat with fewer pests.
The Agoura Hills project is part of a larger, state-wide movement in California to start thinking of rainwater runoff as a resource and not a problem that should just be funneled away. Recent laws such as California SB 790 (the Stormwater Resource Planning Act) helps to provide grants for municipalities looking to implement treatment systems – meaning that more cities might be implementing ozone projects in the near future.
A rather common application for ozone machines, whether rentals or purchases, is deodorizing automobiles. Whether you are dealing with cigarette smoke, mold/mildew smell, spoiled milk, or whatever – ozone has a good track record of eliminating these odors if you follow a few standard procedures.
Step 1: Prepare for Treatment
The same as with any ozone treatment, always start here: clean up the source of the smell! If you are dealing with mold, assess the problem and clean the affected areas with a mold inhibitor if possible. If you had rodent problems, remove any nests, dead animals, and fecal/urine matter you can find. If the source of the odor is a spill on the carpet or upholstery, shampoo the affected areas or wash them off.
Step 2: Setup the Ozone Generator
At that point, you are then ready to use your ozone generator. Depending on the type of generator you are using, there are several strategies you could take. For many small generators (such as our OMZ-3400), it is often easiest to set the generator inside the vehicle, open a window just far enough to slip an extension cord in, plug-in the unit and turn the ozone on.
If you are using a generator that has round end caps (such as the OMZ-3600-HFT and up), you have the ability to hook a standard dryer vent tube up to the output of the generator and pipe the ozone into the vehicle. This generally requires that the user find some way to plug up the rest of the window, since running a dryer tube generally requires a large gap in the window (see the image below as an example, where foam packaging sheets have been used).
Ozonating a Car
Step 3: The Ozone Treatment
Once or twice throughout the course of the ozone treatment it is advisable to turn the vehicle on, set the car’s ventilation system to re-circulate, and run the fans for about 15 minutes at a time. This pulls ozone through the heating/cooling ducts to deodorize those areas. If instead you know that the odor is originating somewhere within the ventilation system, you may need to run the fans longer (or more often) to effectively remove the smell. If your car batteries can handle the job, you may be able to run the fans while the car remains off – but that will vary by vehicle.
Once the ozone in running, the total time necessary depends on the type of odor, the severity of the odor, the size of the vehicle, and a variety of other factors. In essence, each case is a little different. You may want to stop the process after 8 hours to check your progress – turn off the generator, let the vehicle air out, and give the interior a “sniff” test to see if the original odor has been affected. Perhaps the treatment will be finished, perhaps you can continue with a lesser amount of ozone (turn the dial down) or perhaps you’ll need to run it for another day or more at full output.
Step 4: Post-Treatment “Residual Ozone Smell”
In some instances, ozone treatments in confined spaces can lead to what’s known as “residual ozone smell”. This is a smell that you’ll recognize as similar to ozone, but is actually leftovers (by-products) from the ozone reactions. Usually this occurs as by-products collect on soft surfaces (fabrics and carpets) during treatment, but it is a temporary odor and will go away in time. To speed things up, you can try the following:
Let the car air out: go for a ride with the windows down, park in garage with the windows down
Wipe down dash, seats, etc with a damp rag
Vacuum carpets
Safety!
Keep in mind that both ozone and carbon monoxide (exhaust fumes) can be dangerous in enclosed areas. If you are going to be ozone-treating your car while it is parked in a garage, remember to open the garage door when you need to run the vehicle. Ozone may also drift out of the vehicle into the surrounding areas, so take proper ozone safety precautions.
If you ever wondered what ozone does to non-compatible materials, just take a look at this video. It shows what a high concentration (industrial levels) of ozone can do to thin latex gloves.
An Australian project is now providing bottled drinking water whose source is storm runoff from the city of Salisbury, South Australia. Using a process that includes holding storage, filtration, aquifer transfer, aeration, and ozone disinfection they provide an end product that meets or exceeds the standards for drinking water according to CSIRO (Australia’s national science agency). As a test program, it shows promise for providing a cost-effective addition to urban water supplies, while reducing carbon footprint and waterway pollution. See the original article here.
In July of 2009, residents of Brunswick County North Carolina found themselves unable to drink tap water due to a mysterious musty, earthy smell. Analysis by the Brunswick County Public Utilities department later traced the problem to an algae bloom in the Cape Fear River, a major source of water for that region. When pulled from the river and treated with chlorine dioxide, the algae was killed but a chemical by-product was left behind causing an unpleasant odor. The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners recently agreed to spend $44,803 and implement additional, secondary systems to help avoid the problem should another algae spike occur in the river. (See the Star-News [ 1 , 2 ] for their coverage of the situation)
Why mention it here? The most interesting takeaway from the entire situation is that across the river in Wilmington, NC (where they also get their water from Cape Fear River) there never was an odor issue. On the Wilmington side of the river the local Water Authority uses ozone to treat their water rather than chlorine (see here for details). Wilmington’s decision to utilize ozone was based (in part) on the superior taste and smell of ozone-treated water. which certainly seems to be the case here.
When asked, Brunswick County representatives cited cost as one reason for not pursuing their own ozone treatment facility. For that reason, it is also worth noting here that although initial start-up costs of a large scale ozone treatment facility may be higher than a chlorine-based system, the long term costs are lower due to savings on chemicals and maintenance.
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